Reviewer:

Excellent recipe!...but I made some changes to make it a "one-pot clean up." I sauteed the onion, garlic and mushrooms in 1 tbsp. of olive oil. When it looked soft enough, I added the barley, miked it around a bit then added the stock. After the barley cooked and absorbed all the water, I added freshly chopped parsley and basil. Delicious!

Reviewer:

This was a very good and healthy side dish. I used vegetable stock and baby bella mushrooms. My husband tends to be a "meat and potato" guy, but he was very satisfied with this recipe and enjoyed it a lot. I will keep this in my repertoire. Thanks for the recipe!

Reviewer:

This recipe is excellent and very easy to make. It's also a healthier alternative to rice risotto. Like many others, I sauteed the garlic and mushrooms and added them to the barley just before I began to add the broth. I served it with roasted chicken, and it was a perfect complement. I think it can be done with other veggies as well, maybe asparagas instead of mushrooms? Thanks for this great recipe!

Reviewer:

Very good! Barley is soooo underrated and it is great for Diabetes and High Cholestrol (like my hubby). I added coins of chicken sausage for a one-pot meal. So hearty, and great for winter! If you want to add creaminess you can also add one can of cream of mushroom soup.

Reviewer:

Good, family chowed this one down. Made with beef stock instead of chicken as we were having venison. I used a soup base (a good brand, mind you) instead of canned stock and the beef flavor did get a bit strong and kind of fake tasting, probably because of the amount of liquid cooking down. That being said, it was still good, hence the 4 stars. Definitely trying with real chicken stock next time. If you try this recipe, use canned or box stock.

Reviewer:

This recipe was just what I was looking for to add barley (an excellent source of fiber) to my diet in something other than a soup.
The small changes I made based on the other reviews were:
-I used salt-free chicken stock and a vegetable bullion cube and it needed only a smidgen of salt at the end of the cooking time to finish it off. I can imagine that regular salt-added canned broth would make it way too salty.
-Used fresh thyme, and a bit more than what was originally called for.
-Added a generous dash of Cajun seasoning to kick up the flavor even more.
-Thanks to Robin B. for the idea of adding some white wine. Just a splash really rounded out the dish and gave it more of a grown-up taste.
Overall I think this will be a new regular in my menu planning, and it might even be the main course with some crusty bread and a small green salad.
P.S. Regarding the complaint that this isn't a "real" risotto: quite true, but the end result is much creamier in texture than most barley recipes and it's healthier than the same dish made with rice.